2013 NFL Draft Scouting Notes: Washington State vs. BYU

The 2012 College Football Season and the 2013 NFL Draft Season are upon us. Here at NEPD we are excited to be scouting as many games as we can to give our readers an in depth look at as many prospects across the country as possible.

I start off my season with Washington State vs. BYU, which features one of the best wide receiver prospects in the country.

Washington State

Marquess Wilson (Jr.), WR
– Tall, long and really lean (definitely needs to add muscle to frame)
– Doesn’t explode off LOS, but is a long, smooth strider
– Comes back to the QB when the play breaks down
– Gets sloppy at the top of his routes, not crisp
– Finally shows off his body control, leaping ability and length all in one play
– Triple coverage, goes up and gets it in the corner of the endzone, knows where he is and is able to get BOTH feet down – reat play, but called back
– Runs an AWFUL out route, rounds it, not quick out of break and not going full speed – allows the defender to cut in front of him and pick the ball off
– Gives up on chasing after the intercepter
– Makes the toughest play of the game, but lacks focus on details and plays that should be easy

Jeff Tuel, QB
– Stands in the pocket with rush in his face, steps up, pulls it down and takes off for positive gain
– Tries to throw quick crossing route, doesn’t even see the linebacker and it’s almost picked off
– 4th down throw to opposite sideline was accurate, but floated and didn’t have much velocity on it
– Hangs in pocket as long as possible, then escapes and throws accuratly on the run to Wilson
– 3rd and 11 no one is open, protection good, Tuel rolls to sideline and should have thrown it away, instead tries to force the ball into coverage and it’s tipped for an interception – poor decision
– Awful swing pass, sails 5 feet over receivers head
– Doesn’t set his feet and throw on 3rd down, already completely opened up, ball goes high and off target
– Footwork and front shoulder are all over the place, throws when already wide open and struggles with accuracy
– Another very poor decision, coverage is very good, play breaking down, tries to force the comeback, PBU
– Skips a pass to opposite sideline, arm stength is questionable again
– Throws a swing pass about 20 feet high, almost gets his RB killed
– Just doesn’t put enough zip on these quick passes, allows defenders to close and make plays
– Had Dominique Williams wide open for long touchdown, but threw the pass like a hail mary, incomplete – did hang in with the pass rusher bearing down on him
– Tuel does have decent mobility, He can pick up yards with his feet when play breaks down

Travis Long, DE
– Kept contain on the right edge, stayed square to the line and kept the receiver between himself and QB
– Comes off the ball too high and isn’t very explosive, kept motor going, faught through block for half sack
– Runs right into the OT, doesn’t use his hands and just stops, looks like he needs to beat OT off the ball to win
– He likes to try to beat OT inside, not quick enough to speed rush from outside
– Strength is a definite issue, can’t shed blocks very well, if he’s blocked he’s out of play
– At his best when he can slant and crash inside vs. the run
– Much better job of using his hands on goal to go situation, threw the TE to the ground and crashed hard
– On very next play he pulls off a quick spin move after taking a step inside, beats LT outside and gets a sack, was still much too high but it was a goo move

BYU

Branden Hansen, OG
– Good knee bend and punch in pass protection
– Solid initial double team, stayed hip to hip with OC, then moved on to 2nd level and turned LB completely
– 3rd and 1 stays low, fires off the ball and pancakes the DT, Alisa runs right behind him, picks up 1st down
– Does a nice job of helping out in pass protection when uncovered
– Gets to the second level nicely, tries to cut block when he gets there too often though
– Impressive seal on toss sweep, he was able to reach the DE who was in a 5-Tech, get across his face and turn him
– Stops feet a lot when pass blocking and relies on his upper body strength
– Play until the whistle, stays with his man and gets downfield to lead block for Alisa

Cody Hoffman (Jr.), WR
– Finds soft spot underneath, catches the ball with his hands
– Thick build, with good size, speed could be a question
– Runs a very good post-corner route, gets CB turned around and catches the ball with his hands
– Another good route, 5 step slant, fights across the corner’s face, catches the ball in traffic but takes a shot to the quad and gets banged up
– Out for remainder of game

Preston Hadley, CB
– Thick build, looks more like a safety
– Relatively stiff in the mid section, but comes up hard in the run game, physical tackler
– Comes on blitz, but can’t get off block by running back
– Plays primarily the boundary corner
– Sits in zone coverage, but can close pretty well, just misses a PBU
– Anticipation skills are pretty good
– Gets his hands on another comeback route, breaks on the ball quick and drops the INT
– Got beat deep, over the top and couldn’t catch Williams, but Tuel unable to complete the pass